Thousands across globe protest racism, policy brutality to honor George Floyd

Demonstrators showed up cities ranging from London, Paris and Berlin to Tokyo, Sydney and Seoul, among others, to stand with Floyd, 46, who died in police custody in Minneapolis May 25 after a cop knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.

Many protesters, especially in Paris and London, defied citywide bans on gatherings because of coronavirus and showed up in masks and with hand sanitizers.

Britain’s Home Secretary Priti Patel told people to stay at home; instead they packed London’s Parliament Square, NBC News reported.

French officials, who finally got rid of the Yellow Vest protesters when they enacted a stringent lockdown in March, were not able to stop thousands pouring into the center of Paris near the U.S. Embassy, Le Monde reported.

“You can fine me 10,000 or 20,000 times, the revolt will happen anyway,” Egountchi Behanzin, a founder of the Black African Defense League, told French police who stopped him for ID, according to Time. “It is because of you that we are here.”

In Berlin, thousands of mostly young protesters marched in the famed Alexanderplatz Square, some carrying signs saying “Germany is Not Innocent.”

Protesters in Seoul, South Korea, wore black and marched with a police escort Saturday. Their signs read “Koreans for Black Lives Matter.”

Brisbane, Australia had one of the largest local demonstrations of solidarity with Floyd when about 30,000 people showed up, insisting police hoist the Australia’s indigenous flag at the main city police station.

State Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch encouraged Australians to let their voices be heard.

“Whether you’re talking about the U.S. or right here in Australia, black lives matter,” she said. “Black lives matter today. Black lives matter every day.”